Page 62 of The Moment Promised

“Do you want to know what I’m dreaming about right now?” he asks.

Yes, I want to know every thought that passes between your eyes.But I don’t say that. I just nod.

“I’m dreaming about the taste of your lips.” His grin spreads so wide, I want to poke his dimple.

I’m convinced thisisa dream since it seems to be the only explanation to what is happening. But I see my reflection in his eyes, I count the barely noticeable freckles along Finn’s nose, and there’s a loose eyelash only a few blinks away from falling down his cheek.

Vivid details proving this is really happening.

“You’re exceptional, Adeline Miller. Do you know that?” He runs his fingers through the roots of my hair, my eyes unintentionally flutter closed.

He moves his body closer, intertwining our legs and holding me in his arms. His nose is hardly touching mine. He smells like mint toothpaste and my shampoo.

I smile at the thought of him using my products.

“Will you tell me a story?” I ask.

His eyes fall to my lips, hovering there for a moment before meeting mine again. “A make-believe story?” His rough voice is exceptionally appealing.

This piques my curiosity, so I smile and nod my head with anticipation.

“Once upon a time…” He speaks low, his raspy voice touching me places no one has before. “There was a lonesome worm.”

I laugh, causing Finn to smile. “Are you going to let me tell you an awesome bedtime story or not?”

“Yes! yes! Carry on.”

“Well, this worm didn’t care for other worms. They were wiggly and boring, just as he was. So, he lived his life in solitude. Until one day he stumbled into a girl worm. She was unlike anyone he ever met. She was green with black stripes and made him feel emotions he never knew a simple worm like himself was capable of feeling.”

I’m so captivated, I forget he’s talking about worms and listen to hear the rest of his story.

“The two became inseparable. They did everything together…until one day the lady worm turned into a chrysalis. He didn’t know what to do, she was stuck frozen for days. He had never seen a worm do this. He wasn’t sure she would live.” He pauses.

I stare at him expectedly. “Well? What happens?”

“For those long days, where the worm didn’t know what was wrong with his best friend, he thought about their time together. He realized she made his life more than just survivable, she made it better than any other worm’s life in history, and that’s when he realized he was in love with her.”

I gasp, so into the story I smack his chest to continue.

“So, when he saw her moving, he was ready to tell her everything. He was going to marry her, he wanted to spend every moment together until the day they died. When she woke up, she was no longer a worm. She was a colorful butterfly, and once shediscovered she had wings, she flew free, and the worm watched her leave. The end.”

My mouth falls open and actual tears sting my eyes. “That was a terrible story!”

“It was a great story, now go to sleep.”

“Why didn’t they end up together?” I ask, wondering why he’d let a sad ending happen in his own story.

“Because she was a butterfly,” he states matter-of-factly.

“She could’ve flown back to visit him, or he could’ve stopped her from leaving,” I argue.

He shakes his head. “He was a worm, Adeline. He knew he didn’t belong in her world, and he let her go so she could do all the cool butterfly things.”

“Maybe she wanted to be chased.”

He tilts my chin up. “It’s a happy ending, the butterfly gets to touch the sky.”

“But the worm doesn’t,” I complain.

---